Dotmocracy/Speed Geeking

Dotmocracy is similar to other facilitation techniques such as "multi-voting", “dot-voting”, “sticky-dot voting” and “sticker voting”, although there are quite important differences between "advanced dotmocracy" and traditional dot voting methods, since advanced dotmocracy should be more efficient in providing the gratest opportunity for identiying the answer with the highest possible level of agreement.

Dotmocracy can be helpful for:

1. recognizing priorities from all participants (even from the most quite and shy);
2. empowering the group;
3. finding solutions to a problem while avoiding power dynamics;
4. providing results about the group's collective preferences;
5. support friendly discussions that can easily lead to practical conclusions.

Rules and Requirements

To facilitate a dotmocracy session and promotes useful results, the following rules and requirements should be followed. 

1. Dotmocracy facilitators are authoritative and responsible for the process but neutral on the content.

Each participant may only fill one dot per a Dotmocracy sheet. Participants must sign each sheet that they dot. Participants may dot as many or as few sheets as they please. Participants have the option to contribute anonymously. There are no changes to an idea's text inside the idea box once dotting has started. Participants are always invited to post new ideas. A Dotmocracy sheet should only be removed from the dotting process according to the official facilitators' judgment. Required Posted Information For each Dotmocracy session the following information should be posted for all participants to easily see:

The basic process instructions. Start and end times. The question(s) to be addressed. Preamble and references to related information materials. A statement on how the results will be used by the hosting group. The hosting group's name and contact information. The facilitator(s) name and contact information.